For spirits, the last year has been a dilly, a doozy, a real humdinger. In other words, spectacular. A ridiculously gushing torrent of new bottlings has hit the shelves of liquor stores and bars worldwide.

The bar at Eleven Madison Park not only does the restaurant justice, but it's also my favorite place in the city to have a drink, whether I'm looking for a cutting-edge cocktail or simply a gin-and-tonic.

Cherry Heering is damn good. Decades after essentially abandoning the American market, Heering is back with an updated image, and bartenders are once again mixing it into a host of different cocktails.